Author Archives: Kit Prendergast

August Tip: Give Yourself Permission to Take a Break

If you can still take a longer summer vacation this year, do it. But if not, at least plan some mini-breaks for yourself and your family.

Allow yourself to step away from the concerns and pressures of work for awhile – you might even stop watching or listening to the daily news – and you will find yourself catching your breath, smiling a bit more and feeling a spring in your step. The work will be there when you get back, but you’ll have a fresh perspective, a tad more energy and a renewed commitment to the upcoming fall work pace.

Here are some mini-break ideas . . .

  • Change up your daily routine
  • Take the day off and go to Lake Tahoe
  • Go on a road trip to someplace new & different
  • Take a dip in clear blue water
  • Reconnect with old friends over a glass of wine

Even if you put up the Gone Fishin’ sign for just a few hours, make sure it’s up there solid. No work talk, no business calls – you’ve gone fishin’!We need to work smarter – much smarter.

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July 2009: My Start-up Life

My Start-Up Life: What a (Very) Young CEO Learned on His Journey Through Silicon Valley, Ben Casnocha, 2007.

The CEO in question is, indeed, very young. In fact, Ben Casnocha was an adolescent when he started this first company and just entered his 20’s this year. He’s been described as a whiz kid, but he’s more, and when I heard him speak at a recent WIN breakfast, I realized that here’s a young man we can all pick up a few points from.

The New York Times review of his book gives us a quick synopsis of his entrepreneurism: “Publishing a book in his teens actually ranks as one of his [Ben Casnocha’s] more modest accomplishments. At 12, he started his first company. At 14, he founded a software company called Comcate Inc. At 17, Inc. Magazine named him “entrepreneur of the year.”

Those accomplishments were followed by others, including national media coverage.Reading Casnocha’s book is like tuning in to the young mind, one that is exceptionally entrepreneurial and insightful. His youthful energy takes the form of tips on maximizing luck and turning entrepreneurial dreams into business realities.

His book is a summer read that just might revitalize us all and give us a few new ideas along the way, too.

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July Tip: Toes in the Water

Toes in the Water And Sun on Your Back

It’s summer and with it comes the lazy, hazy lull before the busyness of the fall. During these delicious, long days we have a wonderful chance to relax, do something new and just sit and think. I recommend it.

Imagine yourself down by the Truckee River with your toes dabbling in the water and a warm sun on your back. Let your mind drift and meander with the flow of water.

Watch an interesting thing happen — delicious, new ideas begin to bubble to the surface. For just a few moments, play with the burbling possibilities and toy with “what could be” rather than “what is”.

This is possibility thinking (anything is possible) rather than probability thinking (it’s not very probable). And it’s a powerful boost for the creative juices. To bring out your inner entrepreneurial spirit, try these strategies.

  • Be random, be playful, say Yes!
  • Try something new now.
  • Consider this: You don’t need all the answers before you start. So, start.
  • Get your idea out there, see if it works, quickly adjust, and put it out again.
  • Become a learning junkie by challenging and stretching yourself.

Above all, have fun with it. Play. Splash. And bring that playful, creative spirit back to the office when you’re ready to come out of the sun.

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June 2009: Break All the Rules

First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently, by Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman, 1999

In this motivating book, the Gallup Organization sets the scene by presenting the findings of a 25-year study of 80,000 managers across a wide spectrum of business environments.

Their question was simple: “How do the world’s greatest managers find, focus and keep talented employees?”

Moving away from conventional wisdom which dictates a “treat everyone the same” approach, the authors urge us toward a highly customized approach, which is exciting but also challenging.

In this economic crunch, I had to ask, “How do we as leaders have time for an individualized management style?” Through revisiting this book, I came to ask a far better question, and that is: “How can we NOT make the time for customizing our management approach, especially when we know it works?”

This book is a classic and very timely. Enjoy!

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June Tip: Working Smarter With Less

After the summer break and school starts up again, I think we’re going to see some real changes at all levels of business, and in firms of all sizes, too. We’ve all adjusted to upheavals and changes already, so you may be asking yourself, what more could there be?

The change is all about settling in, getting the work done and building the business – with fewer resources than ever before.

Already, every forward-thinking manager and leader is asking how it’s possible do more with less. The answer lies in management and in moving to a customized managerial style. A few tips to start you on the road:

  • See people (including yourself) as individuals with differing work styles.
  • Ask people what support they need in order to do their jobs well.
  • Listen to the answers (setting aside what you think the correct answer should be).
  • Provide whatever resources you can to help the individual succeed.
  • Move people around, matching jobs with talent.

No one can do it all alone. We need leadership to pull teams together and to get much more accomplished with much less.

We need to work smarter – much smarter.

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